Capacity Development for Improved National and International Environmental Management in Seychelles (CB2 Project)

BackgroundThe Environment Management Plan of Seychelles (EMPS) is the principal policy framework and institutional mechanism for addressing national and international environmental concerns in Seychelles. However, findings of the Seychelles National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA) that was carried out in 2005 identified a lack of a comprehensive framework for linking provisions and actions of the EMPS to other national development priorities or the activities of other sectors due to shortages in staff, technical skills and funding for follow-up actions. These marked deficiencies in institutional and policy guidance was also hindering the involvement of lead environment conservation partners in Seychelles. The NCSA primarily recognised limitations in EMPS capacity at the three levels: the systemic level (its Steering Committee); the institutional level (its Coordinating Unit and the International Conventions Unit); and at the individual level (individual and institutional, management, technical and field personnel).

Expected OutcomeThe aim of the CB2 project is to integrate both local and global environmental management and enhance the local capacity to implement these objectives within national programmes. Expected results include effectively managing international environmental conventions, designing of donor-funded projects to help Seychelles meet international and national environmental commitments and priorities and financing them through a range of sources and mechanisms, plus putting in place institutional frameworks that will effectively implement Seychelles’ environmental management plans.

Awareness and capacity are developed for mainstreaming global environment conventions into national programmes; environmental information and reporting are strengthened and capacity for local implementation of global environmental conventions is developed, applied and disseminated.

Key Results and ActivitiesAs a cross cutting project the CB2 is contributing to achieving a number of actions primarily with:• the updating and extension of the EMPS to effectively integrate Rio Convention commitments into national initiatives • developing a new secretariat and coordination mechanism for the EMPS (2011 to 2020) • appointing centers of expertise to lead components linked to the conventions, and training key technical and management staff from lead stakeholder groups to understand global environmental conventions and mainstreaming opportunities• identifying and selecting a set of targeted reliable environmental indicators for the Rio Conventions• establishing a central national environmental database• designing a format for and producing a national report on the status of these indicators that facilitates and enhances the process of national reporting to MEAs • mainstreaming of biodiversity, climate change and land management issues in policy, legislation and technical guidelines and environmentally beneficial activities in district land use planning while developing and implementing the mainstreaming of training • testing, refining and implementing mainstreaming models in representative scenarios and actively disseminate findings.